Spider-Man: Homecoming is an amazing movie and a success when it comes to bringing the iconic superhero into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. However, while this first solo outing for Marvel's wall-crawler is spectacular and deserving of both the praise and box office success it's been getting, there's no denying that it's another superhero movie which leaves us with some very frustrating questions.
From plot holes to irritating omissions like the lack of The Daily Bugle and Uncle Ben, what you'll find here is an in-depth look at what we believe are eight unanswered queries which must be addressed.
We try to do that with most of these by looking at both the movie and comments from those involved, but for the most part, these questions will leave your blood boiling, especially if you're a fan of Spider-Man. So, now you've seen the reboot, read on to find out what we believe are eight HUGE issues!
8. Where's The Daily Bugle?
Here we go again. The Amazing Spider-Man movies featured only the briefest of references to The Daily Bugle but J. Jonah Jameson and his supporting cast were nowhere to be seen and Peter's work for them was never addressed in a meaningful way. Going into Spider-Man: Homecoming we all expected Marvel Studios to make up for that by reintroducing us to that eclectic cast of characters.
While Betty Brant shows up as one of Peter's classmates, that's it, and the newspaper doesn't even show up as an Easter Egg! Yes, the shadow of J.K. Simmons still looms large but there's really no reason we couldn't have seen the Bugle again here. The reboot admittedly has lots going on and might have struggled to have included Peter's work as a photographer but not even setting that up for the sequel seems like a missed opportunity and leaves us once again wondering if this is being left on the shelf. We're never even teased by having Peter show an interest in photography!
7. Will Spider-Man Ever Swing Into Manhattan?
One of the things that makes Spider-Man: Homecoming really unique is the fact it takes place primarily in Queens. Yes, we pay a visit to Washington D.C., but it's there we learn that Peter is afraid of heights and isn't quite ready to start swinging between skyscrapers. As much fun as it is to watch Peter find his way around Queens it feels like something is really missing from the reboot due to us never getting one of those iconic shots of him web swinging through Manhattan and posing on an iconic landmark.
As a result, we're left to wonder whether or not Spidey is going to remain a "Friendly Neighbourhood" Spider-Man moving forward or if he'll finally venture out into the wider world and start looking after New York the same way as his comic book counterpart does. Hopefully, whoever the next villain is will force the wall-crawler to leave his familiar surroundings and venture out!
6. What's Going On With Mac Gargan?
Spider-Man: Homecoming's mid-credits scene features a very interesting exchange between the imprisoned Adrian Toomes and a scarred and broken Mac Gargan who seems very anxious on getting some revenge on the wall-crawler for what's happened to him. The Vulture refuses to reveal Spider-Man's secret identity but what does Gargan have planned next? In the comic books, he's a Private Eye hired by J. Jonah Jameson who dons an experimental suit which later bonds to him and drives him insane.
The sequel could go down a similar route by having the injured convict agree to some sort of procedure which means he can get his revenge but his screentime is so brief that this tease is more likely to frustrate than tease what's to come in the future in a particularly meaningful way. It's even possible that this scene will pay off in Silver & Black due to Sony's desire to world build and that's just dumb.
5. What's The Deal With Uncle Ben?
Uncle Ben is never mentioned by name in Spider-Man: Homecoming and the only time his fate is vaguely referenced is when Peter talks to Ned about his aunt having gone through a tough time and when we see her reaction to her nephew going missing for a day. While Marvel glossing over the wall-crawler's origin story is understandable (like Batman's, everyone knows it), not even dropping a line about how important Peter's uncle was to him feels like a mistake and takes away a big part of what makes this character tick.
The Amazing Spider-Man movies were criticised for not including the "With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility" line and Marvel Studios arguably deserve the same level of scorn for failing to have that mentioned here when so much of Spider-Man: Homecoming is about Peter learning to be a hero. The sequel could tackle this but it may be too little too late by then. We'll see.
4. Is Spider-Man Ever Going To Get His Own Suit?
One of the most endearing things about the comic book version of Spider-Man is that he creates his own costumes. When one is damaged, he sews it up himself but the Marvel Cinematic Universe's wall-crawler has obviously been gifted a far more technologically advanced outfit designed by Iron Man. While he refuses to don the Iron Spider suit Tony has created for him in the closing minutes of the reboot, Peter gets the one first introduced in Captain America: Civil War given back to him.
This obviously means future instalments will continue to explore its capabilities but it feels like a massive departure from the source material and makes Spidey's life a little too easy. The fun thing about the hero has always been that he goes it alone and doesn't look for help so him not being totally independent seems like a shame. Why couldn't Tony just give him a regular Spidey suit minus the gadgets?
3. Why Didn't Spider-Man Join The Avengers?
Much of Spider-Man: Homecoming revolves around Peter Parker's desire to become an Avenger but when Tony Stark finally presents him with a chance to move into the New Avengers Facility and become a member of Earth's Mightiest Heroes, he declines. That's despite the fact Tony has created a new suit for him and has the press waiting to see him brought into the fold and it seems strange that Spidey's desire to become an Avenger has just vanished.
Kevin Feige and Jon Watts have said that it was meant to show some personal growth for Peter as he realises he doesn't need to be part of that team, but to flat out refuse to join a group who can help so many people rather than just local residents in Queens seems somewhat out of character. It also leads us to wonder how Peter will join up with Iron Man's team for a conflict as big as the one we'll see in Avengers: Infinity War.
2. Why Doesn't Peter Parker Have Spider-Sense?
Kevin Feige has claimed that Peter Parker does have Spider-Sense in Spider-Man: Homecoming but it's never shown in any way and seems to be absent during a number of key moments. While the wall-crawler does have incredibly fast reflexes and seems to be able to dodge attacks, he's frequently taken by surprise and there's no way that Ned Leeds and Aunt May should have been able to learn his secret identity as easily as they do in the movie.
After all, the only reason the latter found out in the comic books is due to the fact he was badly beaten and unconscious at the time! Marvel missed a trick here by not finding a unique new way to portray Peter's Spider-Sense and it's now essential that it's used in the sequel as there really wasn't any need for it to be left on the shelf when the previous five Spider-Man movies didn't really take advantage of it in a significant way either.
1. Who Will Be The Villain In The Sequel?
Perhaps it's a little soon to be asking this but Sony hasn't left us with a great deal of choice. After all, with Venom taking place outside of the Marvel Cinematic Universe we know that Eddie Brock won't be making his presence felt because of Spidey returns from the war with Thanos with a new alien costume. Kevin Feige has said we're getting a villain who hasn't been seen on screen before now but with Sony reportedly planning spinoff movies for Kraven the Hunter and Mysterio, they can probably be counted out!
That doesn't leave us with a particularly long list of possibilities and while Scorpion is definitely a possibility, rumour has it that he's actually going to take centre stage in Silver & Black, the movie revolving around Silver Sable and Black Cat. With no other teases dropped here, we're completely in the dark about what's next for the wall-crawler.
Did Spider-Man: Homecoming leave you with any unanswered questions? Do you have answers to those listed here? Be sure to let us know your thoughts in the usual place!